[brjeep]

I thought I'd start this thread for 3 reasons:

1) documenting the work slows things down and provides an opportunity for the brain housing group to engage - maybe I won't screw up so much.

2) if I need help, I'll have my progress documented which might make it easier for the experts on this forum to assist.

3) some might find it interesting - on the outside change there is anyone less knowledgable than myself.

As the title says, I'm very much a novice. Regearing seems to be something most steer away from. But I thought I'd give it a try. Grab your popcorn .


Now, to introduce the patient. When I first brought it home from the pound it was scrawny and undernourished.



A few months of homecooking and outdoor exercise brought it back to life.



Clearly, baby needs new shoes, and so it was.



Followed by an unexpected growth spurt (about 2")



And all was peaceful for a while...

The patient has now agreed to some elective, but significant, surgery. Regear from 3.07 to 4.11. Super 35 kit with c-clip eliminator. Ox locker. Unfortunately, the patient has no medical insurance and can't afford a real doctor. DIY was the only choice.

In my next post I'll apply anesthesia and make initial incisions.

[brjeep]

So I'm finally getting started. The project - quick reminder - is to regear the patient to 4.10 from 3.07. Install an S35 kit, w/ Ox locker. I decided to start with the front axle. The theory being: the setup on the front is less critical and I will, presumably, be more skilled when I get to the back.

So I'm gonna proceed in baby steps, which may be quite boring for many; my apologies in advance.

First step is to jack up the jeep, put it on jackstands, remove the wheels, and place them under the jeep. I put the jackstands just behind the control arm, like so - I think that's the correct place. Notice the wheels sit beneath the shovel. Death by jeep is something I desperately want to avoid.



By the way, I place my floor jack on my axle in the little pocker formed by the lower control arm, which seems like a secure location.



Every operating room needs music. I prefer Last Train Home, Foo Fighters, and a littel Stoney Larue - your tastes may vary.



I pulled all the bolts off the front diff cover save one which I only lossened. I beat the cover loose with a large screwdriver and hammer and let the fluid drain out. Later I took it all the way off.



I removed the Shocks and the brakes and the rotors. I zip ties the brakes out of the way (there has to be a better way, but that's what I came up with - see pic). One of my rotors was reluctant - I beat it more than a little with a BFH and it eventually came free.



I'm keen on avoiding Humpty Dumpty syndrome - I want all the pieces to actually go back together again. So, I invested in ziplock baggies, and made a little labeling station. I place my pieces in ziplocks, write a label on duct tape that I've laid out on a 1X4, cut the label out with a utility knife, apply the label. Then I put the ziplock in a safe place. I hope this works.

[Unlimited04]

what wheels are those? i like em

[asknight]

Subscribed so this novice can get schooled too.

[brjeep]

Has anyone noticed that the pictures in this post are HUGE.... Also, I accidently hit the enter key (or something) and my halfway edited post went live. There is probably a way to fix it, but I'll just continue here (with fewer pictures).

At this point my quick disconnects make removing the sway bar links a breeze. I zip tie mine out of the way because I wasn't willing to drill and tap the frame to install the neat little JKS disco keepers.

Next, I removed the straps that hold the front drive shaft to the pinion yoke. I must admit, I'm not sure this was the right move. The maintenance manual says to remove the drive shaft (actually called the propeller shaft for who-knows-why). Disconnect it at the yoke and the transfer case. I'm thinking I can just disconnect at the yoke. We'll see.

Even with the straps removed the shaft stays in place (the strap is really blurry in the picture - sorry). I'm thinking that after I disconnect the axle I can swing it forward and away and the shaft will swing loose. Or I'll bite the bullet, remove the skid plate, and remove the "propeller" shaft.



BTW, I marked the shaft and yoke with white paint so I can put them back the way they came. I'll be less generous with paint next time.



Next, I unbolted the track bar and steering stabilizer bar at the axle. These were pretty straight forward, but it took some prying to get the stabilizer bar out of it's mount, even after the bolt was removed.

Next I tackled the drag link and tie-rod - drag link first. This didn't go so smoothly. First I removed the nut. The nut is notched and you use a cotter pin inserted through the bolt to keep it from working loose - you get the feeling these oughn't accidently come apart.



Having done that, the darn thing won't come loose. There it sets, unbolted but stuck. I tried persuading it with my BFH to no avail.



Now, the jeep service manual suggests using one of those special jeep tools that don't have a name, just a number like 4192A - remove tie-rod using 4192A - but it looked like something I had seen at harbor freight. So, a quick trip to HF and I was able to push the darn thing free.



The HF tool was called a pittman arm remover (or something about pittman's arm), but it looked about right and it got the job done.

I developed a habit of cleaning all the fasteners. They are, many of them, quite diry & corroded. Anyway, I give them a good bath in WD40 and clean the threads with a toothbrush. This is probably bad for some reason, but at least they go in the baggies clean. Gives me flashbacks of MCRD San Diego, though. I think it's the toothbrush that does it.



And that was about all I did the first day - I do a lot of staring before actually wrenching anything. I attempted a start at the upper control arms, but decided the whole steering gizmoe had to come loose before I could remove the drivers side control arms. Hopefully I'll get the axle completely disconnected tomorrow and I'll post the results.

Lastly, if you actually know how to work on a jeep (and if you've read this far you're in pain) feel free to offer helpful advise.

[ericson89]

did you remove the tie rod so its easier to get to the carrier or is it necessary to remove it so the carrier can slip out of the pumkin?

[MikeBK]

Originally Posted by ericson89

did you remove the tie rod so its easier to get to the carrier or is it necessary to remove it so the carrier can slip out of the pumkin?

Tie rod has to be off to remove the diff.

[jeffb_79]

Originally Posted by ericson89

did you remove the tie rod so its easier to get to the carrier or is it necessary to remove it so the carrier can slip out of the pumkin?

sounds like he's pulling the whole axle out... since the tie rod's connected at the knuckles and to the draglink, probably need to pull it off to remove the axle.
even if he left the axle under the jeep though, the tie rod would be annoying right there in front of the diff.

[DirtyJeepBoy]

Crawled, pretty interesting

[Jrod05]

Great Idea, i have a TJ and can't wait til its more than it is now i suppose i should toss a pic in my profile. Where in Texas are you?

[TJ311]

I'm glad you're doing this. I see that a lot as well with people steering away from doing their own gears. I was almost one of them. I decided that if I could build a Wankel rotary engine and have good success with that, then I can tackle my own gears. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a few weeks until after I get moved but will definitely be doing them myself.

<hijack>On that note, any decent guides out there for the Dana axles?</hijack>

[Boundless]

subscribed

[ArrizX]

Very much looking forward too this.

I would do the same thing if I was able to keep my jeep down for a week or two. But I cant.. no other vehicle for me. So I am stuck lol.

[JeSimmers]

This is great, the only way to learn is hands on.

[Chris in SC]

Subscribed...I have a red TJ that needs/wants the same work. I was just telling my wife yesterday that I'd prefer to do it myself. Thanks!